Production technology for batteries is a key to cost reduction. Productronica 2011 “drives” electromobility

08.06.2011

productronica, the leading trade fair for innovative electronics production is fully in line with the trend for electromobility, which has been pushed once more by the recently published recommendations of the German National Platform for Electromobility. Together with the Productronics association within the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) productronica 2011 dedicates a special show to the highlight-topic “battery production and power electronics”. This way, German and international companies active in the field of electronics production and machinery find an ideal platform to present and update themselves in two key sectors of electromobility. Productronica takes place November 15 – 18, 2011 on the premises of the New Messe Munich trade fair.

In their new program the German Federal Government wants to double research funding for electromobility by 2013 up to one billion Euros. “As supplier in the electronics production sector we appreciate especially the investment in research for the battery production and further development of power electronics. The new application market electromobility will certainly push the electronics segment as a whole. This alone is a large benefit for us in the electronics machinery sector”, states Rainer Kuntz, Chairman of the Kurtz Group and Chairman of VDMA Productronics.

According to the current study “E-Mobility – Opportunities and risks for Germany's production systems industry” carried out by VDMA and Roland Berger, approximately 40 percent of newly registered cars will have a hybrid or all-electric drivetrain. With the creation of new production facilities for batteries a business potential of 4.8 billion Euros will occur for the machinery industry by 2020. Within VDMA, the study was supervised by the Electromobility Forum “E-Motive”. VDMA Productronics contributed with know-how from electronics and battery production.

Large-scale production technology for batteries needed

The most valuable part of an electric car is the battery – this is the feature where car manufacturers can differentiate their e-mobility products most effectively, and this is where a large part of product innovation and cost reduction has to be realized. “The electronics industry managed to make their products not only increasingly powerful -- they made their production less expensive at the same time. This was possible mainly by evolving the production process from small-scale manufacturing to large-scale production”, explains Dr. Eric Maiser, Managing Director of VDMA Productronics. “This has to be achieved for the battery production as well. The machinery industry is the key factor here.”

Production optimization affects many stages along the production chain: from substrate and material production, deposition technology, furnaces all the way to vacuum technology, handling, automation and laser technology as well as lamination, cutting, soldering and welding. The crucial success factors in the battery production process are full control of roll-to-roll processes, and blending and coating of the electrode materials, according to the study of VDMA and Roland Berger. “One of the core recommendations of our study is to intensify the cooperation between car and battery manufacturers on one hand and the machinery industry on the other hand to reach these goals”, says Maiser.

productronica is the ideal information and communication platform

“Therefore we appreciate it very much that Messe München has chosen battery production and power electronics as highlight topics of productronica 2011 dedicating a special show and a lot of their top agenda to those key topics”, says Kurtz. “We will concentrate solely on the production processes taking the entire process chain into account. Industry and market relevance are very important for us”, adds Maiser. Innovative battery concepts and their implementation in eCar platforms as well as components, machines and facilities for their production will be shown. Moreover, experts of the special show will give talks at the highlight-forum, covering topics such as markets, technologies and strategies. “Information and communication along such show events offer the most valuable opportunity to further dive into the matter. That’s what we need productronica for”, stresses Kurtz.